Iowa Football Opponent Preview: Maryland Terrapins

Coming off of a bye week, the Iowa Football team is set to head east for a matchup against the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday. It will the third time in program history that the Hawkeyes have traveled to College Park and just the fifth all-time meeting between the two sides.

The Terps are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Mike Locksley, who has guided them to three straight bowl wins. However, sitting at 4-6, with wins over Connecticut, Virginia, Villanova and USC, Maryland needs to win their final two games of the year to go bowling for a fourth consecutive season. This past weekend, they lost 31-17 at home to Rutgers and will come into this week having lost three straight games.

Iowa is currently a 6.5-point favorite according to the sportsbooks, making them a road favorite for the fourth time this season. That hasn’t worked out well, as they lost to Michigan State (-6.5) and UCLA (-6.5), but did manage to beat Minnesota (-2.5) early in the year. Maryland is 5-11 as a home underdog under Mike Locksley, but they are 2-1 this season in that situation.

TERRAPINS OFFENSE

2024 Numbers: 26.40 PPG (85th), 115.7 RUSH (109th), 305.7 PASS (9th), 421.4 TOTAL (44th)

The Maryland offense is the most pass heavy offense in the Big Ten, led by redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. He has completed 268 of his 412 (65.05%) passes for 2,855 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Edwards Jr ranks first in the Big Ten in pass attempts, second in passing yards, but is tenth in passer rating (130.9). While he’s not necessarily known for his running, Edwards Jr is second the team in rush attempts. Minus the sack yardage, he has rushed for 267 yards and five touchdowns.

Joining him in the backfield is redshirt junior running back Roman Hemby. Hemby has rushed for 524 yards on 113 carries (4.6 ypc) and has six touchdowns, but is also a used quite a bit in the passing game. He is third on the team in receptions, totaling 32 catches for 222 yards (6.94 ypr). The other name to know in the backfield is redshirt freshman Nolan Ray. He has carried the ball 62 times for 275 yards (4.4 ypc) and two touchdowns.

At wideout, the Terps have plenty of options, but senior Tai Felton has put together an All-American caliber season. Felton has 86 catches for 1,040 yards (12.09 ypr) and seven touchdowns, while he ranks second in the NCAA in receptions and fourth in receiving yards. Alongside him is senior Kaden Prather, who has totaled 52 receptions for 579 yards (11.13 ypr) and three touchdowns. The Felton/Prather duo is second in the country in receptions (138), behind Nick Nash and Justin Lockhart (143) at San Jose State.

With as much as Maryland passes the ball, there’s no surprise that they have eight players with at least ten catches this season. Junior Octavian Smith Jr (30 rec, 315 yds, 2 TD) and sophomore tight end Dylan Wade (27 rec, 357 yds, 13.2 ypr, 2 TD) are the other two targets that get the most looks.

The weakness of the Terps offense is, no doubt, the offensive line. Per Pro Football Focus, Maryland ranks 130th in the country in run blocking grade (46.6) and 130th in pass blocking grade (48.3). Their top lineman, offensive tackle Alan Herron, ranks 53rd in the Big Ten in overall grade (63.2). Although Maryland has a strong group of skill players, the Hawkeyes defense can disrupt everything if they are able to take advantage of facing weak offensive line.

TERRAPINS DEFENSE

2024 Numbers: 29.2 PPG (97th), 115.4 RUSH (30th), 262.7 PASS (122nd), 378.1 TOTAL (77th)

Defensively, it’s been a subpar year for a Maryland that ranked eighth in the Big Ten in scoring defense (22.2) last season. That number has dropped a full touchdown to 29.2 points per game, which is good (or bad) for 17th in the conference.

The Terps are led up front by the play of edge rushers Kellan Wyatt and Donnell Brown. Wyatt has totaled 24 tackles on the season, while he has caused some issues for opponents, with seven tackles for loss, three sacks and 15 quarterback hurries. As for Brown, he has only totaled 12 tackles and three tackles for loss, but leads the team with 16 quarterback hurries. Quashon Fuller (25 tkls, 3.5 tfls, 2.0 sks) and Jordan Phillips (17 tkls, 12 QBH) are the other edge rushers. In the interior of the line, Tommy Akingbesote (30 tkls, 4.5 tfls, 1.0 sk) is the name to know.

At linebacker, Maryland is led by junior Caleb Wheatland, who has totaled 37 tackles, six tackles for loss, and three sacks. On a defense that has struggled, Wheatland is the second-highest graded player (72.8). He’s also the only linebacker on the team with double digit quarterback hurries (14). Alongside him is the teams tackle leader Ruben Hyppolite II. He has 47 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss this season, after earning Third Team All-Big Ten honors last season. Other names to know at linebacker is the sophomore duo of Daniel Wingate (34 tkls, 3.0 tfls) and Michael Harris (30 tkls, 2.0 tfls).

Rounding out the defense with a look at the Terps secondary, they rank 112th in the country in coverage grade and are 122nd in pass yards given up. Corner Glendon Miller and safety Jalen Huskey have combined for six interceptions this season. However, Miller and Huskey are two of four Maryland defensive backs that rank in the top 15 in most yards allowed per reception in the Big Ten. That’s more than any other team in the conference. It is worth noting that safety Dante Trader Jr (44 tkls, 1 INT) is second on the team in tackles.

TERRAPINS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kick Returner Octavian Smith Jr: 4 returns, 58 yds, 14.5 AVG, LNG 21

Punt Returner Braeden Wisloski: 8 returns, 67 yds, 8.4 AVG, LNG 27

Kicker Jack Howes: 11/16 FG, 28/29 PAT, LNG 48

Punter Bryce McFerson: 38 punts, 1,755 yds, 46.2 AVG, 19 In20, LNG 64

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is where we find out what the Iowa Hawkeyes are truly made of. Sitting at 6-4, realistically, there’s not a whole lot to play for other than pride and bowl game positioning. Do they want to potentially play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against an SEC team, or do they want to play in the Pinstripe Bowl? Maryland is still fighting for bowl eligibility themselves, and they have an offense that could give Iowa some trouble, most notably in the passing game. If the Hawkeyes can own the line of scrimmage against a bad Terps offensive line, I think they can disrupt their rhythm quite a bit. Coming off of a disappointing loss and a bye week, I expect Kirk Ferentz to have his guys ready to give a spirited effort.